Customer Reviews

Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls: Facsimile Edition

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have several copies of the original Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls and have found deletions of some of the old recipes in the new reproduction. There is no Easy Orange Cake and Clear Orange Sauce in the new. I noted several other changes too! On p.62 in the old is the recipe for Chocolate Fudge Milk Shake and in the new is Cake and Frosting Mix.

I was very excited about hearing that they were going to reprint this recipe book as my original copy was completely falling apart. I had bought several on an auction site to hand down to my kids that were not in good shape. I was going to buy the new one until I went through it and found that it is a revised reproduction and not a genuine reproduction. I would have liked them to have revised it by giving the exact old recipes and writing what changes were to be made if items were no longer available.

I loved this book when I was a child, and just bought a copy for my own sons. I can hardly be an impartial judge, as every page is is a sweet memory. The book has beautiful photos of creative but simple kitchen creations for kids. Some don't even require cooking, just assembling.
The 50's style has a nice retro appeal for adults, but for my kids the fun is in the simple recipes. They loved the Zoo Cake and Raggedy Ann salad, though they don't know who Raggedy Ann is! Next we'll try Good Kid cookies, an old favorite of mine.

This was my first cookbook; and, although its condition is worn and the cover is duct taped together, I still planned to pass it on to my daugthers. What fun, what memories, what an excellent first cookbook. With the reissue, I have purchased two, one for each of my kids! A memory and an heirloom!

While I realize it's not an exact copy of the original, it is a wonderful look at food from the 50s and 60s. I got it because of my fascination with food history and wasn't disappointed.

50s food was garish and a bit twee, but there's still a lot here that will sound appealing to modern readers. I just made the Hot Fudge Pudding (a baked chocolate bread-style pudding) that was without question one of the strangest things I've ever cooked, but it was absolutely delicious--made the entire cookbook worth the buy, just that recipe right there. I've made flourless chocolate torte and STILL think this was the weirdest dessert I've ever made.

Nothing here is outside a kid's abilities; it's all just following directions. There's some chopping and oven use, but none of the talking-down that other children's cookbooks employ ("get an adult to turn the oven on" being the most irritating example of this, and all absent from this book). Recipes tend toward the simple--chili, soup, biscuits, cakes, cookies, salads, breakfasts--with a concentration on making the food appealing to kids.

I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars because most of it's arranging food, with no actual cooking. Page after page of imaginative ways to put fruit on cereal and make shapes out of salad parts isn't my idea of cooking. I'd rather have had more actual recipes. But that's my own preference. As a snapshot of another era, this is a fantastic little book and I wouldn't hesitate to suggest someone buy it as a gift. I'm not sure how much actual kids would enjoy it, but adults and food wonks should love it, and introducing it to a child as "This is how I ate when I was your age" should work well. And do try the Hot Fudge Pudding thing; if that doesn't convert them, nothing will.

I was given this cookbook when I was a little girl. I used it so much, and it was so stained, torn, and worn, but I insisted on keeping it. When my granddaughter started showing interest in cooking, I wanted to share my treasure book with her, and it mysteriously disappeared. I was heart sick, and looked for it over and over through the years. One day I happened to stumble across it on the Amazon site, and I was overjoyed!! I bought it, and my daughter was so excited to see it, I never had a chance to show my granddaughter. I will have to get a few more copies, I suspect, as the book is perfect for those little cooks learning how to navigate the kitchen!!!

My wife had this book as a child and we purchased it for our granddaughters. They are thrilled to have a book Grammy had (and still has!)from her childhood.

I received this cookbook from a favorite neighbor in 1962 - and I will give copies to my grandchildren - I have a lot of happy memories of making recipes from this - in fact, I still have my copy - well worn!

I still have this cookbook in my collection 40 years after receiving it, and I still use it every time I make meatloaf. This book is a good basic book that covers nutrition and real meal preparation, not just snacks, even though there are a lot of fun things too. And the color pictures are glorious! I remember cheese dreams-yum! I think I will get another copy as my old one is pretty tattered. Come to think of it, I might get this for my first-born's first apartment-makes a better starter cookbook than most!!!

My daughter loves to cook and it was a challenge for me to find a cookbook that she could work from. I was thrilled when I came across this book. She loves it and cooks from it every week...who knows, maybe we'll have a four-star chef in the family one day. I'm so thankful for this book.

I was a bit disappointed with this cookboook. Too many of the recipes called for box cake mixes or bisquick. I was hoping for more "from scratch" recipes.